The present invention relates to a switch system using the ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) switch-board, more particularly, to a multi-connection management method and apparatus for the switch system for managing the multi-connections to set a plurality of connections simultaneously between a call from an end user and one or more other end users.
The present invention further relates to a high speed packet communication system for segmenting communication data to relay-transfer them in a network as in a frame relay or cell relay and, more particularly, to a multicast connection status confirmation method and apparatus for confirming connection statuses of fixed connection in multicast services such as a pair of plural broadcasting communications or a plurality of pairs of plural broadcasting communications, as provided as network services.
First of all, let one connection between one end user and another be defined as the "connection". Between one end user and one or more other end users, there exists a call for setting a plurality of connections simultaneously. These plural connections will be defined as the "multi-connection".
A plurality of multi-connections may exist simultaneously, and there two or more calls may set a plurality of connections simultaneously for the same end user. At this time, an interface for managing in a bundle a plurality of connections to be connected with the same end user through one multi-connection will be defined as the "management unit" for a plurality of connections.
Although the multi-connection is executed in the switchboard of the prior art, too, especially the ATM switchboard for the multimedia communications is enabled to set a considerable number of connections with one call for one end user by the point-to-multipoint or the like.
The number of leaves (LEAF) per call, as can be defined in the format of a message, is such a number (e.g., about 32,000) as can be defined by (3 bytes length.div.2). The leaf number can desirably manage a connection of about 1,000 leaves and suppress the processing delay as much as possible, even if it fails to reach the above-specified number.
Because of a small number of connections, as a matter of fact, the connections are managed in the prior art by referring to a memory for managing the connections directly.
One example of the memory construction for realizing the point-to-multipoint connection by the prior art, as shown in FIG. 11, is exemplified in FIG. 12. For the processing routines for the various demands in the point-to-multipoint connection, moreover, the routine shown in FIG. 20 is determined by the routines of FIGS. 13 to 19.
The point-to-multipoint connected switch system, as shown in FIG. 11, includes a switchboard SW, first to third user network interfaces UNI1 to UNI3, a central processing unit CPU and a memory M. In FIG. 11, there is shown in this case a one-way connection service from an outgoing side (e.g., outgoing terminal), i.e., a root (ROOT) to six incoming sides (e.g., incoming terminals), i.e., a leaf a to a leaf f (LEAFa to LEAFf).
The memory M includes a call control memory 1 and connection control memories 2 to 7.
The call control memory 1 manages the call root ROOT of the point-to-multipoint. The connection control memories 2 to 7 manage the individual connections of the leaf a (LEAFa) to the leaf f (LEAFf). Over each of the connection control memories 2 to 7, there are managed the state (i.e., the party-state) of each leaf (LEAF), the number of states of the leaf (LEAF) on the interface to which each leaf (LEAF) belongs, such as the number of active leaves (active LEAF) and so on. Moreover, the state (i.e., the link-state) of the interface of each under network interface UNI is given a value equal to that of the connection control memories 2 to 7 of each leaf (LEAF) on the corresponding user network interface.
If all the states of the connections at some time in FIG. 11 are active, the individual data of FIG. 12 are expressed, as follows:
Number of State Ie on Call Control Memory 1=2; Outgoing and Incoming Party State on Connection Control Memories 2 to 7=Ld (active); PA1 Link State on Connection Control Memories 2 to 7=Ie (active); and PA1 *1: La=Lb=Lc=Le=Lf=0 and Ld (active)=3 on Connection Control Memories 2 to 7. PA1 (1) Frame Relay PA1 (2) Cell Relay PA1 preparing management areas for each multi-connection interface; and PA1 managing calls with said management areas. PA1 holding statuses for each connection and managing said statuses; PA1 preparing, for each connection, management areas for managing the various statuses of said connections and the number of connections in each of said statuses; and PA1 managing said connections with two points of the statuses for each of said statuses and the number of said statuses of each connection of each of said interfaces. PA1 preparing dedicated for managing the number of statuses of each interface by making said interface into a virtual connection and giving a status to said interface; and PA1 managing the multi-connection interfaces by managing the number of interfaces of each of said statuses. PA1 preparing a plurality of connection management memories for managing each connecting including the statuses of the multi-connections and one call control memory for controlling calls; and PA1 managing said connection management memories commonly by the entire system and managing the same by said call control memory. PA1 preparing connection status control memories for managing the statuses of said multi-connections, a connection control memory linked to said connection status control memories for managing the information of the connection other than a status number, and one call control memory for controlling calls; and PA1 managing said connection status control memories commonly by the entire system and managing the same by said call control memory. PA1 preparing, for each multi-connection interface, management areas for managing interfaces and one call control memory for controlling calls; and PA1 managing said management areas commonly by the entire system and managing the same by said call control memory. PA1 management information storage means provided for each of multi-connection interfaces for storing management information; and PA1 call management means for managing the multi-connections by managing calls by said management information storage means. PA1 connection status hold means provided for each connection for holding status information; PA1 status management means for managing the status information which is held by said connection status hold means; and PA1 connection management means for managing the multi-connections with both the status of each connection and each status number of each connection of each interface. PA1 status number management information storage means for storing the status number management information of each interface by making said interface into a virtual connection and by giving a status to said interface; and PA1 interface management means for managing the multi-connection interfaces with the interface number for each status according to said status number management information. PA1 a plurality of connection management information memory means for storing connection management information for managing each of multi-connections including their statuses; PA1 one call control information memory means for storing call control information for controlling calls; PA1 connection management information management means for managing said connection management information storage means commonly by the entire system; and PA1 memory management means for managing said connection management information memory means by said call control information memory means. PA1 connection status control information memory means for storing connection status control information for managing the statuses of multi-connections; PA1 connection control information memory means linked to said connection status control information memory means for storing connection control information for managing the information of the connection other than a status number; PA1 one call control information memory means for storing call control information for controlling calls; PA1 connection status control information management means for managing said connection status control information memory means commonly by the entire system; and PA1 memory management means for managing said connection status control information memory means by said call control information memory means. PA1 interface management information storage means provided for each of multi-connection interfaces for storing interface management information for managing the interface; PA1 one call control information memory means for storing call control information for controlling calls; PA1 interface information management means for managing said interface management information storage means commonly by the entire system; and PA1 memory management means for managing said interface management information storage means by said call control information memory means. PA1 defining a connection status notice message, in which the status information of all the outgoing link connections under a multicast are enumerated; and PA1 confirming the connection status of each of the link connections of the multicast. PA1 defining a connection status notice message including the status information, in which the status is activated only when all the outgoing link connections under a multicast are active; and PA1 confirming the connection status of the link connections of the multicast. PA1 registering at least one of important outgoing ones of outgoing link connections under a multicast, in advance, at the time of registering a multicast contract; PA1 defining a connection status notice message including the status information, in which the status is activated only when all of said important ones of the outgoing link connections under a multicast are active; and PA1 confirming the connection status of the link connections of the multicast. PA1 status collection means for collecting the status information of all the outgoing link connections under the multicast in response to a connection status confirmation demand message; PA1 message edition means for editing the connection status notice message, in which the status informations of all the outgoing link connections under the multicast are enumerated, on the basis of the collection result by said status collection means; and PA1 transfer control means for receiving said connection status confirmation demand message from said a connection status confirmation demanding connection and feeding it to said status collection means and for returning the connection status notice message, which is edited by said message edition means, to said connection status confirmation demanding connection. PA1 status collection means for collecting the status information of all the outgoing link connections under the multicast in response to a connection status confirmation demand message; PA1 message edition means for editing the connection status notice message including the status information, in which the status is activated only when all the outgoing link connections under the multicast are active, on the basis of the collection result by said status collection means; and PA1 transfer control means for receiving said connection status confirmation demand message from said a connection status confirmation demanding connection and feeding it to said status collection means and for returning the connection status notice message, which is edited by said message edition means, to said connection status confirmation demanding connection. PA1 important outgoing side registration means for registering in advance at least one of important ones of the outgoing link connections under a multicast; PA1 status collection means for collecting the status information of all the outgoing link connections under the multicast in response to a connection status confirmation demand message; PA1 message edition means for editing the connection status notice message including the status information, in which the status is activated only when all of said at least one of said registered important ones of the outgoing link connections under the multicast are active, on the basis of the collection result by said status collection means; and PA1 transfer control means for receiving said connection status confirmation demand message from said a connection status confirmation demanding connection and feeding it to said status collection means and for returning the connection status notice message, which is edited by said message edition means, to said connection status confirmation demanding connection.
The processing determination logic at this time is schematically shown in FIG. 13. First of all, if a delete demand (DROP-PARTY) of the leaf a (LEAFa) is given from the root ROOT side, the call control memory 1 for controlling that call is decided (although the description of this decision logic is omitted). Next, a processing c for the delete demand (DROP-PARTY) is started on the basis of a message. At this step c, the processing is decided (by using the processing decide logic, as shown in FIG. 20) with reference to the data of FIG. 12, as shown in FIG. 16. In this case, the routine transfers to FIG. 17 for the processing of executing the "DROP-PARTY".
The corresponding connection control memory is released by the processing at the time of the delete demand (DROP-PARTY). In accordance with this, the data, as shown at *1 in FIG. 12, have to be changed in the connection control memory of another leaf (LEAF) on the corresponding interface. This makes it necessary to find out another connection control memory on the corresponding interface by tracing all the connection control memories 2 to 7 from the call control memory 1 of FIG. 12.
Thus, the prior art is required to trace the memories simply so that the tracing steps will increase to delay the processing as the leaf (LEAF) number of the multi-point increases.
When a demand occurs for one interface of the multi-connection, the processing has to be executed according to the situation of the connection in the interface. In this case, the prior art has to decide the processing by searching the management memory of the connection of the corresponding interface from the management memory of the connection being managed by the call, so that a number of steps are required for determining a processing.
If the number of connections of one interface is set at 1,000, for example, the statuses of the 1,000 connections have to be examined to examine the situation of the leaf (LEAF) on that interface. When some operation is to be performed upon only one connection, a corresponding one has to be searched from the 1,000 connection management memories.
For the one point-to-multipoint, moreover, it is necessary that one to about 32,000 leaves (LEAF) can be controlled. The memory using efficiency might drop if the numbers of the interfaces and the leaves (LEAF) in each point-to-multipoint could not be linearly managed within that range.